A Woman Is Being Investigated After Posting a Photo of Her Dog's Muzzle Taped Shut

Dog owner Katie Brown thought she was being funny when she posted a photo of her disciplining her dog. But the post spread like wildfire, and now she's been investigated for possible animal abuse.

Brown posted a photo of her dog with a duct-taped muzzle on Facebook, alongside the caption, "This is what happens when you don't shut up!!!" The post immediately went viral and had a slew of angry comments, accusing Brown of abusing her poor pet.

The post has since been taken down, though it's unclear whether Facebook took it down after it was flagged or Brown took it down to avoid the backlash. She did follow up, saying that she only taped the dog's mouth for a minute.

Concerned Facebook users contacted the city of South Daytona, Florida, where Brown had listed her location. Local police discovered she had moved to Avon, Connecticut, and transferred an animal cruelty investigation to their jurisdiction. Now, according to WFSB-TV, police departments in Avon and nearby Torrington have been inundated with phone calls, "causing a serious strain on our dispatch center." Avon police went to an address but found that she wasn't living there, and they're still trying to track her down.

The incident is similar to one back in October, in which North Carolina resident Kimberly Ann Howell did the same thing to prevent her dog from barking and posted the results on Facebook. She ended up getting charged with animal cruelty, according to USA Today.

A Part of Hearst Digital Media
Woman's Day participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.